My July 2025 Reads – A Book Review

Photo by Bethany Laird on Unsplash

I’m sorry this is late. Let me tell you what I’ve been up to and hopefully you can forgive me.

Let’s see. July. What did I do with the last of my summer before school started back up? Both my kids got new glasses. We hosted a Fourth of July family get-together. Hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, etc. I think I made a cake? I sadly don’t remember, but my go-to is a pound cake, so let’s go with that!

My daughter went to her very first job. She was a volunteer at a summer camp where they went outdoors a lot. Which is funny, because my daughter is so not an outdoorsy person, much like her mama. She and the camp counselor leads, who were mostly either high school or college students, watched over older elementary school-aged kids. She had so much fun volunteering, she wants to do it again next summer.

As for me, my older sister celebrated a birthday and we did it up big, taking fancy Uber blacks around town. We ended up partying at this grown folks club in Snellville. It was a good time! However, people could smoke hookah and cigars inside, so my freshly done braids unfortunately came out stankin’. Thank goodness for dry shampoo and leave-in conditioner!

And the pièce de résistance? The family and I went on a Disney Cruise to wrap up the summer. I’d never been on a Disney cruise before, and it was everything and more. I had so much fun, I want to go every summer! It was 3 nights cruising to the Bahamas, which I’d never visited before either. The kids really enjoyed the included kids clubs, with my youngest going to the tween club (Edge) and my oldest going to the older teens one (Vibe). They actually made some friends there!

I saw the new Fantastic Four movie on board the ship, which had just opened that weekend. So fun. I even enjoyed a margarita in the theater. Oh! And I saw The Little Mermaid play in one of the theaters on board. There was so much to do, I simply couldn’t do it all. That’s why when I book this trip again, I think I’ll try 5 nights. The only drawback for me was that the sit-down restaurant food was hit or miss. The buffet food though? On point. Every time.

I don’t know why my months always seem to be so busy. Maybe it was ‘cuz it was summer? I don’t know. But somehow I also managed to read 15 books, and I wrote five additional chapters of my vampire book. I’m on Ch. 40, quickly approaching the big climax. It’s gonna be wild, ya’ll!

As always, if you’re interested in reading my first novel, The Secrets We Keep, it’s available to read here. This book has cheating themes and plenty of spice for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Without further adieu, check out my reviews of the books I read in July!

Pretty Little Savage (Sick Boys Book 1) by Lucy Smoke

I listened to this on Audible. In fact, I think every single book I finished last month was an audiobook. That doesn’t mean I didn’t read on my kindle or read an actual book. I did. I just didn’t finish them. Plus, I can get through audiobook’s faster, especially when I can listen at double speed. And listen while I do other things. You feel me?

Anyway, this one definitely kept my interest big time. I really like this author’s writing style and I really felt for the character toward the end, the trauma that she had to endure, being set up. That was a hard chapter to listen to, but the voice actors did such a great job. The FMC, Avalon, was not afraid of the MMC, Dean, even though in the beginning everyone around them was. He was one of the sick boys and sort of ruled the town.

After a while, it did get a little repetitive. She kept telling him ‘you don’t control me‘ and ‘no‘ all the time, all the while finding him attractive and trying to ignore her feelings. I was like, ‘come on, why are you fighting this? you know what’s going to happen.’

Having them come together was a lot of fun. This book was fun too, except for the tragic end, but it just made me wanna keep reading. This author is brilliant.

Avalon is a real spitfire. Their lives, both Ava’s and Dean’s, were so interesting, and I just want to know more. I can’t wait ’til they declare their love for each other. Get the popcorn!

4.5/5 stars

Stone Cold Queen (Sick Boys Book 2) by Lucy Smoke

An Audible read. Better than the first. A fun ride. Lots of surprises. I was suspicious of one of the character’s motives, but I didn’t know for sure. We watch the main characters, Avalon and Dean, fall in love. When she says, ‘Dammit, am I in love with him? Shit.’ That was hilarious. More popcorn please! A little repetitive. Much more spice. Pulling back the layers is so fun.

4.5/5 stars

Natural Born Killers (Sick Boys – Book 3) by Lucy Smoke

Wrapping up Avalon’s and Dean’s story. It was good ’til Avalon’s antics started to get old. Her continuously punching Dean whenever she got mad? Her acting like a toddler when things would happen that she didn’t want? I just had had enough and started not to like her.

There were some questionable scenes in there. Like when they got intimate around a person they had just killed. That was so unrealistic and nasty and the opposite of hot. C’mon. You’re trying too hard to be “dark”. The continuous sex got old too. Okay we get it, you’re hot for each other! The girl was stubborn. Not my favorite of the series.

3.5/5 stars

Wicked Dark Heathens (Sick Boys – Book 4) by Lucy Smoke

Audible! This one was short, in that Abel and the purple-haired girl’s (Rylie’s) story was just one book. I feel like I didn’t get to see them fall for each other. Like I saw her fall, but I’m still not sure why Abel fell for her. And he fell fast. She fell for him because he’s gorgeous, ripped and wanted her. She was always so baffled as to why he wanted her. But how could she resist?

He had many similarities to Dean. The dirty talk and the wanting her to say you’re mine. Touch her and die shit.

He was the playboy and very, very good at sex. My God, that sex marathon! Like wow!

The villain was hella lame though and super easy to take down. Like the villain was stupid. And when the narrator did his voice, it was not creepy, but childishly lame. All his lines were like are you kidding me? You delusional idiot.

Her growth, I guess, was that she finally told the villain that she never wanted him and that he’s disgusting.

I’m very excited to read about the Brute’s (Braxton’s) story next. Too bad it’ll have to be on kindle unlimited and I won’t be able to finish it in a day.

3.75/5 stars

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 1) by J.R. Ward

Another Audible book. It surprisingly featured a lot of prostitution in this vampire world. Anyway, all the sex was hot, hot, hot. It’s written in third person. I loved Wrath and Beth together. I was surprised when he came to her at night, and that she was so eager for him to just take her. And he did. And they fell in love. I don’t know. I kinda loved it.

Mr. X was despicable. What was his deal? He kills prostitutes. He was just evil.

Check out the fandom page on this series, cuz it can get confusing with all the characters.

It was sad how Marissa discovered that Wrath didn’t want her. Marissa was all about him and would do anything for him, but he was so gone over Beth.

The relationship between Marissa and Butch was pretty immediate. But still, I’m glad they found each other.

It was funny with all the references to early 2000s Hip Hop. Is this the best book ever written? No way. Is it entertaining? Hell yeah! It was written like 20 years ago and I think the author is on Book 23 of this series now. I plan to read them all. 🙂

4/5 stars

Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 2) by J.R. Ward

Audible! It was interesting how they played with Rhage and the beast. How she accepted what was in him and even had sex with it, kind of. She was the only one who could tame the beast.

Mary, at first, was afraid of what Rhage was able to do, in killing all the would-be attackers in the beginning, so he erased her memory. Then he just said fuck it cuz he didn’t want her to forget him. Then she slowly came around when he revealed what he was. She got turned on by him being a vampire. She didn’t believe he would be into her since she was plain-looking. But he was all about her. Her voice, everything drew him to her.

And, of course, we follow the crazy undead vampire slayers. Mr. O this time and his obsession with Bella. He kidnapped her cuz she looked like his ex-wife. Can’t wait to see how Zsadist will take him down in the next book. I’m hooked.

They talk like they’re from another time sometimes, like he refers to his woman as his female. Seeing the aftermath of the pain that Zsadist went through as a sex slave and not believing that anyone would want him for him was sad. Both books are a little dated with dated ideas. Slang is used a lot. But overall, a good time.

4.25/5 stars

Lover Awakened (Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 3) by J.R. Ward

Audible! More dated material. Like if you’re gay, that’s considered kinky. Cringe.

This is Zsadist and Bella’s book. I really felt for Z. His past was so horrible. And then it bled into his present. Thinking he was dirty. Him needing to clean Bella immediately after they were intimate. Him not thinking he was worthy of her. Her continuously telling him she wants him and him pushing her away. Him throwing up after fooling around. Him trying to make her go to his twin brother, who was feeling her, because he believed the twin was a better match. And her being like no dude, I want you.

When Bella was going through her needing, this thing that happens when vampires are fertile, all the males in the house had to get down with their women or drug themselves up so they could get through it. That was different. V trying to drug Bella to get her through the needing at first, but then giving in and giving her the D.

Most of their lovemaking was spoiled because he never had sex for enjoyment. Only to punish women, because he was raped by the mistress in his past. He couldn’t have Bella ride him because that’s how the mistress raped him. He was so damaged. He made his brother whip him to make him feel better. His brother saved him from these horrible people who enslaved him, and he shot off his own leg during the rescue. There was so much in this book.

The villain who kidnapped Bella, I just wanted him to die. He was annoying and delusional.

My favorite of the series so far.

4.5/5 stars

Lover Revealed (Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 4) by J.R. Ward

Audible! Butch and Marissa’s book. Distinct characters. They were kept apart because of her brother thinking he was beneath her. Then they get together and it’s all kinds of awkward, with him wanting to do right by her, since she was a virgin. Her fighting her urge to feed on him cuz he’s human. Him drinking himself drunk when she has to feed on another vampire. His inner vampire already claiming her as his.

Then the weird drinking in the undead and killing them thing. Now he’s gonna be used as a weapon to fight the fight against the undead slayers. Marissa accepting him on the grounds that he’ll be careful in this fight. There’s still so much mystery surrounding everything. An excellent read!

4.5/5 stars

Lover Unbound (Black Dagger Brotherhood – Book 5) by J.R. Ward

Audible again! Vishous and Jane’s book. It was interesting how V was saved by humans and while he was unconscious, the doctor’s got a look at his strange heart and wanted to study it. But then later, the vampire brothers worked together to erase the memories of the human doctors and nurses. And when the humans would kind of remember something, or try to remember a truth about the vampires, they’d get a headache and move on.

Their first time together was so hot. Vampires love so hard and are so territorial.

The author still used terms like sissies and pansies in here, unfortunately.

I liked the talk between V and Butch and how Butch was straight, but if he ever got with a dude, it’d be with V. And Butch explained away V’s feelings because Butch was his closest friend, and maybe that’s why V fell in love with a straight man. During Butch’s vampire ceremony, they did cling to each other quite sensually.

V’s past was horrible. His father, an abuser, and his mother, the virgin angel lady, attempted to make amends. I’m glad Mr. X wasn’t in this one.

We focused on John as well and him coming to terms with being assaulted and not being able to maintain an erection with that female who was supposed to help him through his vampire transition. And then the new chosen for Phury, and how she’s having a hard time adjusting to her role and how her decisions aren’t her own. Each book’s conclusion kind of sets you up for the next one’s main romantic relationship.

4.25/5 stars

Tattered (Lark Cove Series – Book 1) by Devney Perry

You guessed it! Audible! Very vanilla, boring and predictable. With a villain we didn’t really get to know or care about. Who was easy to punch out and conquer. And the catty ex-girlfriend? Yawn? MMC was just too perfect. He had no flaws. He did everything for her. Good in bed, hot, loving, honorable, rich. Blech. Just okay.

And the FMC was getting annoying trying to keep her daughter from the man she loved and all the money. Cuz the daughter didn’t want to wear dresses and not get dirty. I wanted more of a fight with his parents over the paternity test. I just wanted more.

2.5/5 stars

If We Ever Meet Again (If Love Series, Book 1) by Ana Huang

Audible! It was very by the book in that there was nothing new here. Nothing original. We’ve seen all of this done before. They break up in chapter 1. It’s told from the dude’s POV, and you know clearly he doesn’t want to do it, but he’s still doing it. We don’t know why and then when you finally find out why… man, the author really drags out this break up and the aftermath of it.

Of course you don’t want them to break up. They shared a lot of things. Their secrets, their fears, their hopes and dreams. They had a real relationship and there was trust there and love and all the things, but then he goes and does something stupid over winter break. We’re gonna find out the repercussions of it in book 2, so of course I have to read it!

I felt for them. She fell first. He was like right behind her. It was sad. You knew it was coming, but you didn’t know why.

4/5 stars

If the Sun Never Sets (If Love Series, Book 2) by Ana Huang

Lots of complicated feelings. Him getting his second chance and then fucking it up. I was really annoyed by the second time he broke up with her. Like really? We’re gonna do this again?

I was so annoyed with him as a character. He was just getting on my nerves real bad and really needed to get his shit together. When the ex-girlfriend admitted to him that she lied about something pretty major, I felt like his response shouldv’e been “Don’t talk to me ever again.” Yeah. He should’ve yelled at her. It would have been cathartic. But alas, a missed opportunity. Instead, he just forgave her because it wasn’t like he was an angel. She, the ex, ruined so much of his life. But hey, they’re still friends and he understands because they have history. To me, what the ex did, was unforgivable. He lost five years with the love of his life because of the ex’s lies.

Yes, he should’ve sent those love letters, but I’ve seen that done before. Trying to win the girl back with letters about his deepest, darkest secrets that he’s ashamed of or whatever. Fine.

The main characters needed to talk everything out. But I guess they’re just flawed. Although the girl was sort of annoying too when she said the boy she met on a dating app toward the end was her boyfriend.

I guess I liked this book up until he broke up with her again. He did the thing that he said he wasn’t gonna do. Also, a lot of it was brushed off as I was young and dumb and I made these stupid mistakes. Did we learn from them? Can we learn from them?

3.75/5 stars

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager

Listened to this on Libby. Not my favorite Riley Sager book. It was hard to keep up with the characters and who was who. I’m not big on whodunits. I was reading through my original thoughts on this and I can’t include any of them here without giving basically everything away. So I’ll say this. It’s a period piece set in the 50s I think. The author makes you think one of the people on board the train is the killer and… man, I can’t even say anything about that either. Dang!

Things happened where I rolled my eyes. We’re introduced to a character too late in the story to even care about him or what happens to him. It was supposed to be this big surprise, but it was really just this convoluted thing that just got too difficult to follow or again, care about.

I wish two characters got together. They didn’t.

The motive for all this murder and madness? Revenge, but I guess that’s in the title so…. The most interesting part was the secretary who told her story and how she got blackmailed into helping the bad guys kill Anna’s family. She was an in the closet lesbian in a time when it wasn’t safe to be one.

I don’t know. The whole story left me cold. Shrug.

3/5 stars

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

Audible read, and an interesting one at that. Points for originality and sense of humor. It was hard to root for Georgie, the hero, because she was selfish at times and flaky. Like she’d get so lost in her attraction to the alien that she’d forget she has others on the planet that need rescue. And the girls just understood and forgave her, even excusing her for being busy getting laid and forgetting about them.

The male didn’t have much of a personality, other than he liked Georgie and wanted to protect her, and reluctantly gave her a choice to stay or to leave. He would surely die of heartbreak if she decided to go back to earth.

Simple story that you just go with. One hole – he used the word fuck before, and then when she said it, he didn’t know what the word was because of the language barrier. Curious.

We don’t really care about the other girls on the ice planet or get to know them. And the aliens who abducted them in the beginning, did they die? I can’t remember. This is not a book to be taken too seriously. It’s just a walk on the wild side.

3.5/5 stars

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune

Listened on Libby. My 2nd favorite book by this author. You can read my review for my favorite book by this author, the prequel to this one, here.

It’s always annoying when couples who obviously are meant for each other break up or don’t declare their feelings / lie about their true feelings.

It is not until the very end when I hear the author’s note that I realize this is Charlie from Book 1, Every Summer After. I was a little confused as to why he felt the need to tell Alice that he slept with his brother’s wife before they got married. I didn’t put two and two together. I forgot the names. This should’ve been noted as Book 2 of the series. It would’ve cleared up a lot. I’m disappointed I didn’t know ’til the end.

Charlie, in the beginning, was described very much as a playboy/ flirt, which is what he was in Book 1. Which is why Percy got with him in Book 1. Now I want to reread Book 1.

Percy and Sam, in this book, were very much in the background. And I didn’t get a sense that they were all that important to this story. They were kinda boring. Married and expecting their first child.

I liked that the two leads had layers. Even though Charlie comes off as super confident, he definitely has insecurities that are explored here. And we always have a front row seat to Alice’s insecurities. She’s shy and a good girl who needs to come up with a bucket list for the summer.

I felt that Charlie pushing Alice to date his buddy was either a test or a way to keep her from him because he thought she deserved better. He didn’t realize how good he was. He was a ho and thought all he was good for was sex. He certainly kept sex from her. They don’t do it ’til about the 80% mark. And there’s a lot of fade to black. Was he good? I think so.

I was confused by Charlie in the beginning. “What are you wearing?” He’s the MMC? Okay, he’s fun. And so was this book, overall.

4/5 stars

Thanks for reading!